Floor



C. A. HAcl-l Feb, 4, 1936.

FLOOR Filed April 13, 1934 FIG.

all nlilll. .In

/NVE/VT'OR C. A. HACH A T TORNEY Patented Feb. 4, 1936 Uiri'i STATES Partnr orifice Western Electric Comp any, Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 13, 1934, Serial No. 720,391 12 Claims. (Cl. 2.0-3.5)

This invention relates to a floor and more particularly to a unitary floor adapted for use in telephone booths and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide; a principal floor member for a telephone booth or the like, substantially unitary in structure, adapted to be preformed in a simple manner, and adapted to be easily and conveniently assembled with other preformed members into a tight, solid booth structure.

With the above and other objects in View one embodiment of the invention may present a floor structure for a telephone booth or the like comprising a substantially rectangular sheet metal horse shoe frame having foot members embossed therein and upturned flanges along its rear and side edges for attachment thereto of side and rear walls, a floor surface member of concrete or the like plastic having a metallic reinforcing member embedded therein and having short up turned rabbetted flanges along its side and rear walls, the surface member being either molded in situ in the frame or preformed to fit therein, and vertical curb members adapted to rest on the rabbetted flanges of the surface member and to extend upwardly therefrom along the side and rear walls of the booth, the curb members being preferably preformed of the same material as the floor member.

Such a floor construction is simple, strong and wear resisting and enables rapid and easy assembly of the booth.

Other objects and characteristic features of the invention will appear'from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several iigures and in which Fig. 1 is a broken view in perspective of the lower portion of a telephone booth having a floor constructed in accordance with the invention; i

Fig. 2 is a detached plan -view of the floor structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, there is provided a generally horse shoe shaped base member or frame 20 preferably of sheet metal rectangular in outline and having the size of the booth to be erected thereon. The

55. sides and rear have upturned integral flanges 2l -before the latter is secured to the frame.

for attachment thereto of the side and rear walls of the booth. These flanges are preferably continucus either by the frame being stamped as a whole and the flanges thus formed or by the flanges being welded along their vertically abut- 5 ting edges at 22. The horizontal members of the frame may have downwardly projecting foot members 23 preferably embossed therein or they may be separately formed and attached thereto.

A floor member proper generally indicated by 10 2:1 comprises a reinforcing member 25 of expanded metal, woven metal strands or rods, or other suitablematerial, embedded in a sheet or layer of molded plastic material 26. This plastic material may be concrete, or a magnesite 15 plastic, or similar wet molded material, or may be a red ceramic substance, or a heat molded substance such as an artificial resin like bakelite or the like. The reinforcing member 25 is preferably a multiperforate sheet or layer of ma- 20 terial of relatively high tensile strength, the plas;- tic being so molded thereon as to fill the interstices of the member 25 and thus become a unitary mass therewith. Preferably the reinforcing member 25 is attached to the frame 2i) as by 25 welding, in which case the plastic 26 is preferably formed in situ on the frame and reinforcing member after the two have been welded together. However, in some instances, as in the case of an artificial resin, it may be preferred 30 to mold the plastic on the reinforcing member The parallel arms of the frame are rigidly spaced apart and held together by the attachment thereto of the reinforcement of the floor mem- 35 ber, and the floor member is a self supporting bridge across the open space between the arms of the frame being supported by the frame at the edge parts only of the floor member, and at isolated points by the feet 28. 40 The floor member 24 is formed along its side and rear edges with an integrally molded upturned flange 21 having a grooved or preferably rabbetted upper surface. The floor member may further be provided with integral feet 28 45 molded from the plastic. The reinforcing means 25 may be formed to extend down into these feet to form the bottom wearing surface thereof, or the feet may simply consist of plastic material squeezed down through the interstices of the re- 50 inforcing member.

As shown, the main body of plastic material does not extend below the reinforcing member, the latter defining the general under surface of the principal floor member. It may, however,

in some instances, be preferred to completely embed the reinforcing member within the plastic, in which case the feet 23 and 28 may be dispensed with'and the general under surface of the floor member from side to side of the frame be made Veven'with the under surface of the frame. In

general, however, it is preferred to have the feet and thus provide a modicum of ventilation under the floor. f

Side curbs 36 and a rear curb 3l are also provided preferably premolded of the same material as the floor plastic 25S or of similar material although they may be made of any material desired for ornamental reasons. These curbs are preformed along their lower edges to fit the grooved or rabbetted upper edges of the floor member thus providing against penetration of water from floor scrubbing solutions or the like. They may also be preformed with a broadly grooved rearvface as at 32 making accomplishment of a tight fit against the vertical Walls of the booth more easy.

At its front edge the vfloor is molded to form an integral door sill or tread 33 having its under surface flat and in the same plane with the bottom of the feet 23 and 28 as at S and having its upper surface rounded as at 35 to lessen any liability to trip thereover.

If desired so-me harsh abrasive such as cargranules in the rounded surface 35 only or in the entire upper surface of the floor to lessen liability to slip thereon, especially if water, snow or other like substances may be present.

The structure thus far described has its parts so proportioned and disposed that when assembled into a complete floor unit as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, vertical slots 36 of appropriately predetermined form and dimension are provided to receive and hold the lower ends of the vertical side and rear walls of the booth which may be of any appropriate form and construction. When assembled, the curbs 3E? and 3l may be attached tothe vertical walls with screws or bolts 37.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is illustrative only and may be modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as'pointed out in and limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a floor unit,fa horse shoe shaped frame, a

multiperforate metal reinforcing member attached thereto, and plastic material molded on the member and in the interstices thereof and serving to space the ends of the frame rigidly.

2. In a floor unit, a frame, a floor element comprising a multiperforate reinforcing member and plastic material molded thereon, and in the interstices thereof, and a curb member, the reinforcing member being attached to the frame, and the curb member being supported Von the plastic material.

3. In a floor unit, a. U-shaped frame having horizontal flanges, a multiperforate reinforcing member attached to the horizontal flanges, a floor surface element of plastic material molded on the reinforcing member and in the interstices thereof and serving to space the ends of the frame rigidly.

4. In a floor unit, a frame, a multiperforate reinforcing member attached thereto, a mass of plastic material molded on the reinforcing member and in the interstices thereof to be supported thereby and having a fiat slab-like floor portion and an integral upturned peripheral flange, and a curb member resting on the ange.

5. In a floor unit, a frame, a reinforcing member attached thereto, a mass of plastic material molded on the reinforcing member to be supported thereby and having a fiat slab-like floor portion and an integral upturned peripheral flange, and a curb member resting on the flange, the flange and the curb member being formed with coacting matched waterproof contours.

6. In a oor unit, a horse shoe shaped frame, amultiperforate metal reinforcing member attached thereto and serving to space the ends of the frame rigidly, and plastic material molded on the member and in the interstices thereof and having a fiat slab-like floor portion supported by. the member and projecting feet integral therewith.

7. In a floor unit, a sheet metal frame having horizontal flanges and embossed feet, a multiperforate reinforcing member of metal welded to the frame, and a floor portion of plastic material molded on the reinforcing member and in the interstices thereof and having projecting feet integral therewith.

S. In a floor unit, a sheet metal frame having horizontal flanges and embossed feet, a multiperforate reinforcing member of metal Welded to the frame, and a floor portion of plastic material molded on the reinforcing member and in the interstices thereof.

9. In a floor unit, a horseshoe shaped frame, a multiperforate metal reinforcing member secured to the frame and bridging across the open space between the arms of the frame, and plastic material molded on the member and in the interstices thereof.

10. In a floor unit, a horseshoe shaped frame having horizontal inward flanges, a multiper forate metal reinforcing member secured to the flanges and bridging across the open space between the arms of the frame, and plastic material molded on the member and in the interstices thereof.

l1. In a floor unit, a horseshoe shaped frame consisting of a back and two arms extending at right angles thereto and in the same direction therefrom, and a rigid ioor member supported on the frame and bridging across the same from side to side, the floor member being supported on the frame at the edge portions only of the floor member.

12. In a oor unit, a horseshoe shaped frame consisting of a back and two arms extending at right angles thereto and in the same direction therefrom, and a rigid floor member of molded plastic material supported on the frame and bridging across the same from side to side, the floor member being supported on the frame at the edge portions only of the floor member.

CLARENCE A. HACH. 

